Living in the Moment
10:48 AM
Italy has officially left me absolutely speechless! Everything from seeing the Sistine Chapel, going inside the Colosseum, going up Mount Etna, visiting Pompeii, and so much more was breathtaking and an experience I wouldn’t trade for
anything. But, before I get caught up
reminiscing about my experience in Italy, I will tell you a little bit about
myself. My name is Abbie O’Brien and I
will be starting my junior year at Columbia College this fall. I have always seen study abroad as an amazing
opportunity and visiting Europe has always been a dream of mine! However, since I had never been out of the
country I was nervous to spend an extended period of time away from home. I thought that study abroad wasn’t an option
for me because of this fear and also financially until I heard about the short term
study tours that Columbia College offers!
This study tour was affordable, roughly ten days long, and still
included a trip packed with the rich history, culture, art, and so much more of
the place(s) you visit. I was so excited
about this perfect option for a student like myself and signed up for the Rome
and Sicily study tour! I couldn’t have
asked for a better fit regarding finances, duration, and location of this tour!
Now, enough about myself, let’s talk about Italy! If I shared all the things I learned about
the places we visited this blog would turn into a novel, but I’ll do my best to
share about my favorite stop, the Sistine Chapel. Walking into the Sistine Chapel was incredible. Being able to see Michelangelo’s amazing
works was an absolute privilege. The
Last Judgment painted across an entire wall was not just beautiful and a
masterpiece but it evoked emotion as everyone stood in the quiet packed
chapel. As I looked around the room I
noticed that over half of the people had their necks craned back, taking in
arguably Michelangelo’s most impressive and difficult work covering the ceiling
of the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo
captured the book of Genesis in incredible detail and beauty on this ceiling. I was immediately in awe of the amazing art
before me.
I think a big reason I was able to really appreciate this
amazing place was because the rules took away the distraction that cameras and
talking can cause. Since pictures were
strongly prohibited and talking discouraged, we were all forced to be in the
moment. So instead of experiencing the
Sistine Chapel from behind the lens of my camera I was able to experience it to
its fullest by giving it my entire attention.
Simply standing in the chapel was almost an emotional experience in itself.
I think stepping back to enjoy each
place you visit is an important thing to do during travel or any study abroad
program in general. It is not always
easy to set aside your camera but in the end it is more important to focus on experiencing
the place at hand. That would be one piece
of advice I have for anyone in or considering any study abroad program; don’t
be afraid to set your camera down for a moment to take in your
surroundings.
I hope one day you take some time to visit Italy and see the
wonderful and beautiful art, architecture, history, culture, and views it has
to offer!
P.S. I can’t even begin to tell you how amazing the pizza
and gelato is, so you will absolutely have to try that for yourself when you
visit Italy!!
-Abbie O’Brien
 |
| The Colosseum |
 |
| Vatican City |
 |
| Gelato with Lauren |
Thanks for thhis